


The Many Faces of Courtney DiLaurentis

by GildedGardens



Category: Pretty Little Liars Series - Sara Shepard
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-18
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-16 14:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/540500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GildedGardens/pseuds/GildedGardens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A glimpse into the mind of Rosewood's most mysterious and infamous resident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Start of Something Grand

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars. That honor belongs to Sara Shepard.
> 
> A revised version of a story I originally posted about a year ago on FF.net. At one point I removed all of my stories because I wasn't quite satisfied with the quality and I had other things going on in everyday life. 
> 
> Anyway, this centers around the life of Courtney DiLaurentis, a character that's always fascinated me. The setting in this chapter is the prologue of Killer.

 

Chapter One: The Start of Something Grand

 

On a peaceful Saturday morning in one of the richest neighborhoods in Rosewood, a charming Victorian house on a cul-de-sac was experiencing some unusual yet familiar mayhem.

 

“Don’t."

 

“ _Don’t_.”

 

“Stop it!”

 

“ _Stop it!_ ”

 

“ENOUGH!” bellowed Jason DiLaurentis as he pushed past his younger sisters through their vast kitchen, the back door to the deck, and out into the yard.

 

Courtney giggled as her twin Alison likewise stormed upstairs to her room. She couldn’t help it; she just had so much _fun_ riling her up. Twirling the ‘A-is-for-Ali’ ring she ‘borrowed’ from her sister on her index finger, Courtney sighed as she thought about her impending trip to Delaware. The Radley, her main home since her family moved to Rosewood, had just closed down and was being renovated to become a hotel. Now she had to start over in a new institute, the Preserve at Addison-Stevens.

 

She was still upset about the closing of her ritzy old home. She’d never be able to gossip with Samantha and Julie again and it pained her to even think about gorgeous Matt Sarwen. It wasn’t _fair_ that she had to start all over, while her bitch of a sister was happily enjoying her life in their Rosewood mansion, doing normal things that _she_ had a right to enjoy as well.

 

Of course her parents could never understand things from her perspective. No, she was just “crazy” Courtney. She was the trouble child, the unsightly blemish on an otherwise perfect family. As long as she was hidden out of sight, her parents didn’t care about her. It was a bitter truth she realized ever since she was shuttled off to the Radley three years ago.

 

And now they were going to shove her in a new place that was even farther away. She bet they loved that. Courtney scowled and twisted the ring faster. She was sick of being treated like a nuisance while her irritating twin was seen as the golden child. Her sister didn’t deserve all that attention. She didn’t deserve to be Alison DiLaurentis. Courtney had long reached her breaking point and she wasn’t going to put up with being neglected any longer. The solution? Become Alison, as she was always meant to be. Of course that was a lot easier said than done.

 

Out of desperation, Courtney stole her sister’s ring while she was relaxing with her friends in the hot tub yesterday afternoon. She couldn’t go through this again. She refused. But how could she stay here and convince her parents she was Ali? Unless a miracle happened in the next few minutes, she was as good as gone.

 

A flicker of movement caught her attention as her older brother continued walking into the woods behind their home. Watching her backyard closely, Courtney noticed four girls hiding near the raspberry bushes. She recognized the girl with dirty blonde hair as her next-door neighbor who lived in that huge estate with the barn and windmill.

 

Spencer was it? Courtney wasn’t sure if that was definitely the girl’s name but she knew she went to Rosewood Day just like her twin. That meant the other girls were probably Ali’s classmates too. She grinned victoriously and moved to go outside. _It looks like the miracle’s dropped right into my backyard._

 

“You can come out,” she called. Silence ensued for a moment and she gnawed on her lower lip nervously. _Please come out, please don’t run away…this is my only chance at freedom._

 

_Okay, no time to panic. Just keep talking. What are they here for anyway? My sister’s Time Capsule Flag? That totally has to be it! Time to reel them in…_

 

She descended the porch steps and walked into her yard, closer to the girls’ hiding spot. “Seriously, I _know_ someone’s there. But if you’ve come for my flag, it’s gone. Someone already stole it.” Well, more like _she_ stole it and partially decorated it for herself. She had much better ideas to put on the flag than her stupid sister anyway.

 

That did the trick; the girls quickly moved away from the bushes, shocked and eager to find out what happened to it. _Perfect._

 

Courtney kept a nice little conversation going with the girls, telling them she didn’t know who stole the flag and how it was just _awful_ because she’d already decorated it with the perfect symbols. She had to keep from giggling. Being Alison felt so exciting, so right. Her sister didn’t deserve this perfect life in Rosewood.

 

“Ali?” Courtney turned to see Mrs. DiLaurentis glancing at the strangers in their yard with mild confusion. _Wait, she actually thinks I’m Alison?!_ Surprised that her hasty plan was actually working, Courtney willed herself to appear calm as her mother continued, “We’re leaving.”

 

“Okay, bye!” Courtney swiftly turned back to the girls and asked for their names. Her heart was pounding and she struggled to keep a cool demeanor. So many things could go wrong right now. Her sister was likely pitching a fit. Her mother clearly knew these weren’t Ali’s friends. And where exactly did Jason go? He saw what both Ali and Courtney were wearing before he stormed off. If he came back soon enough, she would be in major trouble.

 

She vacantly responded to the girls’ questions about the ‘missing’ flag piece, eyes trained on the thicket of trees beyond them. _Please let Jason stay wherever he is…please let this work…_

 

The sound of an engine suddenly caught Courtney’s attention; she whipped around to see her mother’s Mercedes pulling out of the driveway. Her breathing sped up as she watched the car move down the street and turn onto the main road.

 

 _Oh my God._ It worked. She couldn’t believe her last- ditch effort actually _worked_. Letting out a slow sigh of relief, Courtney became aware of the girls staring at her expectantly.  _I totally forgot they were still here._ “So…bye.”

 

She promptly went back into her house. As she walked upstairs, the initial shock was wearing off and she now realized the full scope of what just happened. She did it. Courtney was now Alison DiLaurentis. A smile graced her features and she began to giggle. Rushing into her new room, Courtney fell onto the bed and looked around at what was now _her_ furniture, _her_ clothing, _her_ possessions. She laughed again and thought about all the things she wanted to do.

 

Eventually she sat up and turned her attention to more pressing matters. If she wanted to completely pull this off, she needed to fit in at Rosewood Day. Keeping up grades wasn’t a problem and Courtney was sure that she was better at field hockey than her twin, but there was the issue of friends. She had to ditch Naomi and Rebecca if she wanted a problem-free transition into her sister’s life. Or was it Nicole and Riley? Either way, they would be out…but who should replace them? It wouldn’t do for the most popular girl to be without a clique.

 

An image of the four girls she just met flashed in her mind. _Of course!_ They clearly weren’t close to her sister and they seemed so eager to talk to Courtney. In another world, she wouldn’t have given them a second look, but she’d take what she could get. After all, it could be a lot of fun to mold them into cooler girls.

 

With that comforting thought in mind, she changed into different clothes. The last thing she needed was for Jason to come back and figure out she wasn’t Alison. Courtney admired her reflection in the mirror.  This was the start of something grand, she just knew it. _I’m Ali DiLaurentis and I’m fabulous._

 

 


	2. Becoming Miss Popularity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene inspired by Wicked Ch. 19

Chapter Two: Becoming Miss Popularity

On a cool Friday evening in late October, Courtney DiLaurentis strode confidently toward the entrance of Rosewood Bowl-O-Rama to meet her new friends. It was admittedly a bit difficult adjusting to her sister’s life, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Her teachers had amped up the amount of homework in the last couple of weeks, but she still made a point to convene with the girls at the bowling alley every Friday. It was a nice way to get to know them properly without prying eyes—specifically those of her sister’s old friends.

She rolled her eyes at the memory of the two girls crying after she ended their friendship. _They’ll get over it eventually. It’s not like hanging out with them would’ve been good for me. Who cries like that over a lost friendship anyway? They seriously couldn’t have liked my sister_ that _much._ She snickered at the thought of anyone crying over someone like Ali. _I wonder what the brat is doing now. Probably sulking in a group session. God knows I hated being in those stupid meetings at the Radley._

Courtney entered the bowling alley and checked her beige Burberry pea coat along with her brown leather boots at the counter. Seeing Spencer and Emily near the bowling shoe racks, Courtney grinned and sneaked up behind them.

“Boo!”

Both girls jumped and Emily even shrieked a little. She cracked up at witnessing their reactions. _I can’t believe that seriously frightened them. How lame. If they scare this easily I should think of some creepy dares for us to do in the future._

“Hey Ali, you totally frightened us there.” Emily exclaimed while joining her in laughing. Spencer smiled too, though she rolled her eyes as if to say she was only pretending to be scared. “Aria should be here soon but Hanna called to say she might be running a bit late. Her mom just got out of an emergency meeting like 15 minutes ago.”

“That’s cool, no worries. Let’s get to bowling already, you scaredy cats! We’ll start a new game when they both get here.” Courtney grabbed a pair of size 6 ½ bowling shoes and moved to an empty lane, Emily and Spencer close on her heel.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Aria walking in. She waved and called out, “Hey Aria! We’re over here and we’re about to start, so hurry up!”

Aria waved back while hurriedly checking in her outerwear. Just one minute later Hanna rushed in and the girls started their Friday night ritual. The evening progressed with drinking plenty of sodas, seeing who could twist into the craziest bowling positions, and gossiping about their classmates. _This_ was why Courtney met her friends here instead of the usual hotspots for Rosewood Day students. She could learn more info about her new school and Rosewood without being obvious about her lack of familiarity with the place.

“I’m going to check out the vending machines,” Aria announced. “I’m totally craving some Dots. Anyone want anything?”

“No thanks.” Courtney said while pulling up the scorecard and starting to draw smiley faces. Spencer also declined, jumping up to start another round of bowling instead. _That girl is so competitive,_ Courtney thought. _Better watch out for her in the places where it counts. I really don’t want any challenges to my status as the ringleader of this group._

Hanna rose as well, pulling up her slightly too tight jeans. “I’ll go with you! I really want some cheese Doritos and my dad forgot to pick up a bag yesterday.”

“Could you guys get me some Twizzlers? Thanks!” Emily called out next to Courtney.

“Sure thing! But Twizzlers are nothing compared to the candy my dad brought back from Germany,” exclaimed Aria. “Haribo Pearlicos are _so_ good! I wish we got them here in Rosewood. I think they sell them in the states but I haven’t seen Pearlicos in any of the groceries or candy shops!” She and Hanna then trotted to the vending machines.

Courtney made a face at the mention of the weird German licorice candy. Aria had made them try a piece a couple of weeks ago and it took all of Courtney’s restraint to keep from spitting out the disgusting stuff. Out of all of them, the raven-haired girl definitely had the strangest tastes. She’d need to give extra attention to transforming her ‘unique’ friend, get her to be a little more… _normal_.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Emily, who stretched next to her and asked, “Do you remember that fight Ian Thomas and your brother got into that day the Time Capsule was announced?”

 _Wait, what?_ It took a few seconds for Courtney to process the random question. She stopped drawing and blankly stared at Emily as she attempted to quell her rising panic. _Think, Ali, think. What could they have possibly been fighting about?_ Ian Thomas was a hot, popular, and outgoing high school student; in other words, Courtney’s dream boy. Of course her brother wouldn’t like someone like him. He probably found a dumb excuse to start a fight with Ian.

She finally bent over to retie her shoelace and murmured, “Jason’s a freak. I teased him about it when he gave me a ride home that day.” She glanced briefly at Emily, only to see a slight frown on the redhead’s face. _Crap, did I say something wrong? How am I supposed to react to a question like that anyway? Ugh, I really hope I didn’t screw myself over…_

Her thoughts continued to spiral out of control until Emily asked, “So that fight didn’t upset you then?” Courtney let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was probably just worried that the fight affected her, just like any friend should be.

“Easy there, Killer! I can take care of myself!” Courtney winked and grinned at Emily, who turned a bright shade of red. Before she could respond, Aria and Hanna returned with snacks in hand, effectively ending the awkward interrogation. The girls ended their weekly bowling session around 10:30 and waited for their rides home. Fifteen minutes later, Spencer and Courtney were still waiting for Melissa Hastings to pick them up.

“Ugh, where the hell is my sister? She’s so late,” Spencer griped.

“She’s probably busy browsing White House|Black Market or Chico’s for new clothes,” snickered Courtney. They both had a nice laugh at Melissa’s expense. Spencer’s older sister was a junior in high school, yet she insisted on dressing as if she were a middle-aged socialite. Come to think of it, her style was unnervingly similar to that of Mrs. Hastings. _Weird._

A few minutes later, a silver Mercedes-Benz pulled into the lot. Melissa stuck her head out from the driver’s seat and called out, “Sorry for being late, girls! I was just discussing the decorating plans for the barn with Mom!” Spencer groaned as her sister began to ramble on about the barn yet again.

Courtney tuned out the Hastings sisters as she gazed out the window, reflecting upon the first month of her new lifestyle. It was a challenge, but it was absolutely worth it. She wouldn’t change anything she did on that fateful Saturday morning. Her only regret was that she didn’t think to do something like this sooner; she could have long established herself as the _real_ Alison DiLaurentis. She supposed it didn’t matter in the end. Right now, she _was_ Ali, just as she was always meant to be.

She smiled as the car turned onto their street and stopped in front of her home. Courtney jumped out of the car and chirped, “Thanks for the ride Melissa! Oh, and Spence, we totally need to discuss our plans for my Halloween party. Are you free tomorrow? You could come over around one or two if you are.”

“Yeah! I think there’s a marathon for _The Hills_ too, so we could catch up on those episodes while we plan,” The dark blonde cheerfully agreed.

“Great! See you later.” Courtney walked into her home and let another smile grace her features. Life was pretty good right now. And she could only see it getting better from here.


	3. No One Can Be As Perfect As Ali D.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scenes inspired by Wicked Ch. 21.

Chapter Three: No One Can Be as Perfect as Ali D  
Courtney tied her long blond hair into a high ponytail and did a quick once-over of herself in the floor-length mirror. On a windy Sunday afternoon in March, tryouts were being held for coveted positions on the Rosewood Day JV team. She was determined to secure the one spot allowed for a sixth grader.

After checking her hair and uniform, she glanced out her window, right into Spencer's bedroom. She was also competing to get on the team and she's been especially obsessed about it since…well, probably since before Courtney met her. Spencer was no doubt one of the most competitive girls she'd ever known. Of course she was very competitive herself, but Spencer often took it to another level. And that was just fine with Courtney; she'd ace Spencer in the tryouts easily. She loved a good challenge and Spencer gave it to her willingly. Sometimes a bit _too_ willingly if she was honest…

She stared at Spencer, who was scurrying around her room doing God knows what. Spencer was interesting enough and their random little competitions were definitely fun. However, Courtney was beginning to feel a bit of frustration with her overzealous friend. She hadn't exactly bent to her will as quickly as the other girls and that bothered Courtney greatly.

Whenever she got the girls to do something random, whether it was streaking across the cornfields in the middle of winter or chanting in the local cemetery at night, Spencer always showed some resistance. Eventually she'd give in— _most_ of the time—but her reluctance still annoyed Courtney. She thought of what could happen if the other girls started to mimic Spencer's unyielding attitude. It definitely wouldn't bode well for her position as the queen bee of the group.

 _I'll have to figure out how to put Spencer in her place, but meanwhile, I have something more pressing to do._ A quick look at the clock indicated it was time to go. Right on cue, her mom called, "Ali, it's time for us to leave! You don't want to be late for the tryouts!"

"Coming," she responded as she grabbed her sports bag and headed downstairs. _Everything will be just fine,_ she reassured herself as she got in her mother's car. _You've been practicing with Alexandra so you've got a foot in the door already. Time to clinch that JV spot!_

***

The wind had calmed down, which was very good news for the JV potentials. Courtney and Spencer stood on Rosewood Day's vast field with about thirty girls from sixth and seventh grades. Varsity coach Alexandra Pratt was with two other seniors from her team, instructing the group of hopefuls on which moves they were expecting to see.

"Now everyone get on the benches! We're going to see trials for the sixth-graders first since there's just one spot available for them. We'll be evaluating you guys in alphabetical order. First up: Bingham, Jessica!"

As a lanky redhead took the center, Courtney decided to shake up Spencer. "So, feeling nervous about the tryouts Spence? Have you been practicing enough?"

Spencer, who was tense from the moment she arrived on the field, rolled her eyes as she muttered, "I've been practicing for months now, Ali. You know that."

Courtney barely hid her smirk in time as Spencer turned to look at her. Of course she knew her fanatical friend was practicing; it was all the girl ever talked about since last semester. Courtney was well aware that Spencer also spent practically every summer practicing field hockey with various professionals. She might even admit that Spencer had a slight edge on her when it came to speed on the field. But that didn't mean a thing, because Courtney knew she already had this one in the bag.

"DiLaurentis, Alison!"

"Wish me luck!" she chirped to Spencer before jumping up to run to the field. She heard a snort behind her but she dismissed it. Let her be as cynical as she wanted; she would learn soon enough.

Courtney went through the motions with murmured approval by Alexandra and was back on the bench within five minutes. She grinned at her stony-faced pal and turned to watch the other girls. And fifteen minutes later…

"Hastings, Spencer!"

"Break a leg, Spence!" she cheerfully yelled as Spencer got up for her turn. The overachiever gave her a disgruntled look before walking to the center. _God she's uptight. You're a little too sensitive for your own good, Spencer._

As Spencer started to perform the required moves, Alexandra's mouth slowly turned downward as she criticized her. Halfway through the tryout she had a full-on frown as she yelled, "What are you doing? That's not the proper way to hold the hockey stick _at all_. Where did you get your training?"

Courtney's jaw dropped in shock as Spencer's face turned bright red. She couldn't help but giggle at the outrage on her friend's face; she was sure that Spencer rarely heard criticism for _anything_ she had done.

"I've been learning for years from experts like Tim Paterson and Patti Logas," she bit out in barely contained annoyance.

Alexandra sniffed. "Well, I'm not sure if you've forgotten your lessons, because I can count at least seven mistakes you've made so far. Let's continue with the rest of the routine, you only have two minutes left."

Courtney covered her mouth with her hand lest Spencer see her laughing at her predicament. This was just _too_ entertaining. Her turn was soon over and she walked back towards Courtney, face still red and hands clenched in fists.

"I can't believe her," she exploded. "Those moves were perfect! How on Earth was I holding the hockey stick wrong? _That's_ how I've been taught to handle it by _all_ of the coaches I've had over the years! Alexandra hates me for some reason, I just know it. I hope the other two student judges aren't as biased as she seems to be."

Thinking of the perfect sugarcoated jab, Courtney ventured, "Well Spence, you never know. You really might've been holding the hockey stick incorrectly. Maybe you _did_ forget some of your training! But I don't see how you could've if you've been practicing for months!"

 _Oh, she's definitely mad now. This is_ so _amusing._ She smiled sweetly as Spencer's face grew even redder. _Wow, didn't think that was possible. Any brighter and you just might blow up Spence!_ She quickly stifled a giggle as her friend stood up rigidly, mumbled something about needing to freshen up, and stalked off towards the girls' locker room.

 

* * *

(Two Days Later)

Another long, boring day of school was thankfully over. Emily tapped Courtney's shoulder after their French class finally ended and said, "Ali, I think I heard someone say the results for the new JV team are up! Wanna go look?"

Courtney grinned, "Oh, definitely. Let's go grab Spencer first, she'll want to see the results too." She knew she already snagged the spot, not because of her confidence, but because Alexandra herself called on Sunday evening to congratulate Courtney on making the cut. She was asked to keep quiet and she readily complied. She wanted to see Spencer's immediate reaction to being rejected after all. Maybe _this_ was the trump card she needed to show Spencer who ran things in their group.

 _Speak of the devil._ Spencer walked out from the same classroom they exited moments earlier after talking with Mrs. Wilford about the oral presentation coming up in April.

"Hey Spence, Em says the JV results are out. Let's see who made it."

Spencer hesitated for a moment, but quickly straightened her shoulders and said "Sure, let's go." She strode ahead of Courtney and Emily, clearly eager to see who made the team. When they reached the announcements board, they saw the bright blue sheet of paper with the printed names of Rosewood Day's new JV field hockey squad. Courtney's name was near the top of the list, along with those of a few of the seventh graders who auditioned and the older members who stayed on from the previous year.

Courtney watched Spencer like a hawk, gauging her reaction. At first Spencer stared blankly at the list. Her eyes roved it several more times for a couple of minutes and then it finally seemed to hit her: she wasn't a part of the team. Spencer's expression tightened considerably and she whirled around to leave the building, not saying a word to anyone as she pushed past groups of students.

"Spence, wait!" Emily cried as she tried to catch up to her angry friend. Courtney stood back patiently as she sighed and turned to look back at her. "Well at least we've got _one_ of our friends on the team, right? Congratulations Ali!"

Courtney pushed back her newly highlighted hair with a magnificent smile and returned, "Thanks Em! I wasn't sure if I'd make it, but there I am! I'm _so_ psyched. I'm a little worried about Spencer though. She looked really pissed…"

"Oh, you know how she is. She's too competitive for her own good," Emily snorted. "She'll get over it eventually. She can always try again next year, can't she?"

"That's true!" Courtney sang as they exited school. She was pretty happy with Spencer's reaction; she didn't yell and rant like she did at tryouts but this was just as enjoyable. "Wanna hit the Sweet Tooth Shoppe for a bit? They've just started serving their swirly milkshakes again and I could totally go for a strawberry-vanilla right now."

"Sure! Swim practice for today is canceled anyway. Too many of my teammates are sick," Emily explained as they walked to King James Mall.

Later that evening, Courtney lounged on her bed and looked out to Spencer's room. She could tell the girl was sulking as she was lying face down on her bed. _Oh Spence, you're just too competitive like Emily said. Especially when it comes to girls like me. I hope this has been a good learning experience for you, because I'm pretty sure I totally owned you this week. And I'll do it again whenever you challenge me, so maybe it's a good time to start learning to be more humble._

Snickering on this line of thought, Courtney grabbed her phone and dialed Spencer's cell. Watching through her window carefully, she saw her friend lift up her head and glare at her phone before picking up. "Hello?"

"Hi Spencer, I was just calling to see if you were okay," Courtney murmured in a faux-soothing voice. "You ran out of school pretty quickly. You didn't even wait to walk home together like we usually do."

She heard her friend sigh on the other end. "I'm sorry Ali. I'm just really disappointed. I wanted that spot _so_ badly and I've been training for so long…I'm just really upset. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that _you_ of all candidates got the spot. I wasn't expecting Alexandra to pick people she knew."

Was that a hint of accusation in Spencer's voice? And what was with the sudden attitude anyway? She was just calling because that's what friends did. Sure, she had subtly teased and taunted Spencer about the tryouts for the past week and a half, but people did that all the time in these competitions. She was giving Spencer a chance to take defeat gracefully but she just _had_ to be a sore loser. Courtney rolled her eyes, chose to ignore her friend's snipe out of kindness, and continued with her fake sympathy.

"You can always try out next year. And c'mon, Spence. You can't be the best at _everything_." Knowing she just struck an especially sour note with that statement, Courtney let out an involuntary giggle and found she couldn't stop. She listened to Spencer breathe out forcefully along with a terse " _Goodnight_ , Ali." She promptly hung up and Courtney now heard the dial tone. She was _still_ laughing, but she couldn't help it! This was even better than tormenting her sister! She spied her new hockey outfit hanging in her open closet and got a fit of inspiration.

She grabbed the uniform, shifted the curtains carefully over her window, and hung the rack on the post. It was in perfect sight of Spencer's window. _Perfect. Now she'll see this every time she looks in this direction and know that she'll never be as flawless as I am. Take that, dear Spence._

Courtney opened her nightstand's top drawer and withdrew her Moleskine diary. She had to keep a journal of her thoughts while at the Radley and figured it would be a good habit to maintain. It would help her with anything she might have forgotten about her classmates _and_ it was especially handy for documenting her time with the girls. She wrote in her diary religiously and she was _very_ excited to record today's events. After ten minutes, Courtney closed her diary and returned it to her drawer.

Glimpsing through her other bedroom window, she noticed Jenna Cavanaugh walking down to geeky Mona Vanderwaal's house. Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Courtney reflected on the recent conversation they had about their siblings. She never expected it, but she had a lot more in common with Jenna than she initially thought. Just as she hated her twin, the real-life Snow White disliked her stepbrother Toby. Courtney definitely understood her sentiments; the boy was so creepy looking and weird that she wanted to gag whenever she saw him.

All the same, Courtney wouldn't be extending a hand of friendship to Jenna, at least not in public. For now, she was glad to have someone around who understood her problems; after all, she was the only person outside of their family who knew she had a twin. Jenna even met with both of them last spring.

Turning away from the window, Courtney moved to her desk to do her large pile of homework. First on the agenda: math exercises. She groaned; her brain was hurting already just _looking_ at her textbook. _It's going to be a looong night._

 


	4. A Simple Plan Or A Recipe For Disaster?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue from Flawless: Prologue, Ch. 1, and Ch. 23.

Chapter Four: A Simple Plan or A Recipe For Disaster?

_Ugh, can this day get any more boring?_ Courtney tapped her foot relentlessly as her American history class teacher droned on about the Roaring Twenties. Finally, the bell rang and everyone shot up from their desks, clearly relieved to see the end of a day's classes. Courtney walked straight to the high school parking lot and toward her brother's car. She really wasn't in the mood to stick around and chat with anyone.

It was a gloomy afternoon _again_ and it had been raining consistently since the morning. She sighed and pulled out her umbrella as she exited the building. _April showers and all, I guess. But having so much rain is still depressing._ On top of the awful weather, the semester was becoming more intense and everyone was complaining about the increase in their homework and class projects. Sighing again, she saw Jason sitting idly in his car. Courtney picked up her speed and jogged towards the dry haven.

"Hey Jason," she said wearily as she settled into the front seat and secured her seatbelt. He simply nodded and started the engine. She was so relieved he decided to drive to school instead of riding with that freak Darren Wilden. Courtney shuddered at the memories of sitting in the backseat of that junky contraption yesterday, forced to listen to Marilyn Manson music. _He_ would _like that weirdo. Freaks flock together after all._

As they drove home, Jason spoke up. "So Ali, Mom and Dad have a dinner function to attend in New York on Friday night and I'm supposed to keep an eye on you. Dad just texted me about it a few minutes ago and said they'd be staying at the Waldorf Astoria for the night, since there's another event they need to attend in the morning."

"Cool," she muttered while staring out the window. It wasn't unusual for their parents to be out of town for the weekend, but they always made sure Jason looked after Courtney while they were away.

"Well, here's the thing: Darren and I were already planning to head over to a friend's party and crash there for the evening. I personally think you're old enough to look after yourself and I trust you won't get into too much trouble. Are you okay with being alone in the house?"

_Oh…this might have potential._ Just like that, Courtney's mood brightened considerably at her luck. _A whole Friday night with the house to myself? Too good to be true! I've gotta call the others and see what we can do. Nothing too crazy since we all have so much assignments to do over the weekend. I hate this month._

"No problem, I'll be fine. I was actually planning on inviting my friends over for a sleepover, so I won't be alone."

"Great," murmured Jason as he pulled into their driveway. "Just don't blow up the house and keep this between you and me. I've been looking forward to this party all month and there's no way in hell I'm missing it."

"Your secret's safe with me!" she chirped as she went up to her room. Before she could call one of the girls with the great news, her cell phone rang. It was Jenna Cavanaugh. The two exchanged phone numbers a while ago, but neither had called each other until now. _Odd. Wonder what she wants._ Courtney picked up and said, "Hey, Jenna. What's up?"

"H-Hi, Ali. I know this is pretty weird, but I really needed to talk to you." Courtney's brow furrowed as she heard Jenna's strained voice over the line.

"You sound upset. What's wrong?"

"…It's Toby. I'm so frustrated with him and he's been very…out of control lately. I'm sick of it."

"Hmph, that really sucks. I heard the firework by the way. I think everyone did. Nice way for him to end a Monday night," joked Courtney. Yes, at 11 PM, when she was getting ready for bed, a huge _*boom*_ echoed throughout the street. The first time it happened in March, she was scared out of her wits. However, she quickly grew used to the explosions, since Toby saw fit to shoot fireworks at least twice a week. It was very annoying for everyone in the neighborhood; Spencer was especially ticked off by the disruptions.

Jenna managed a weak laugh. "I know. About that…" she didn't finish her sentence and became silent. Courtney waited patiently on the line, and the girl eventually spoke up again. "I have a favor to ask, but it's kind of a huge one. I'm not sure you'd want to risk it."

"Tell me what you want and I'll decide that for myself," quipped Courtney. Very few things scared or intimidated her. Plus, she was _really_ curious about this 'favor'. Shy, quiet Jenna Cavanaugh coming up with a plan she deemed 'risky'? It was a rare occurrence and she wanted to hear exactly what dear Snow had in mind.

"Well, my parents were so angry about Monday night. You see, my stepbrother actually shot the firework off from his treehouse; he launches them like that all the time. It's super dangerous because he could set fire to the surrounding trees or the house. So they warned Toby that he'd be sent to boarding school if he set off another firework. He's been obedient so far but he's also getting even more unbearable in other ways."

"I see," Courtney murmured while twisting a strand of hair on her finger. _Interesting. If she's suggesting what I think she is…but that's crazy._ She had a pretty good idea where this was going, but she waited for the other girl to finish her speech just in case she overestimated Jenna's daring.

She heard Jenna take in a deep breath and sigh. "Ali, I'd like you to help me get rid of Toby. I want you to launch a firework near the treehouse and make it look like _he_ did it. I know it's a huge request, but I'm getting desperate." Jenna's voice had a tone of urgency and she was practically begging Courtney to help her.

Blue eyes widened slightly as she took in the girl's pleas on the other line. _She's really serious about this. She wants Toby gone from Rosewood for good. Does she hate him_ that _much?_ Courtney weighed the risks of doing such a big set-up and promptly decided she would do it. She couldn't stand Toby Cavanaugh anyway and she empathized with Jenna's situation. She certainly knew what it was like to hate a sibling so much that making them disappear was the only way to make life better.

"Don't worry Jenna, I've got your back. Toby needs to learn his lesson and I'll be happy to help out. Just tell me what to do."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea what this means to me, Ali! Okay, so Toby keeps his fireworks in a huge wooden chest just under the treehouse. He never locks it so there shouldn't be any trouble in stealing a firework. Nighttime's obviously the best time to do it and he needs to be in the treehouse when you light it. He usually goes in there around nine and stays there for hours, so that'll be easy too. The only issue is that he's stayed away from the treehouse since our parents gave him the warning. He might not go near the thing for another week, but I can wait. I'll let you know when he enters it again."

"Alright, sounds good. I'll probably pull off the prank around ten or eleven, just to make sure the neighbors are all settled in at that point. All you have to do is give me the signal. Text me and I'll plan for that night."

"Great. Thanks so much again Ali. I sure hope this will work," Jenna's voice sounded a bit worried yet incredibly relieved.

"It totally will. Just leave it to me," Courtney declared. "I've gotta go. Someone else is calling. Don't lose too much sleep over this, okay? You'll be living like an only child before you know it. Au revoir!"

"Okay, bye!"

Courtney hung up and accepted her incoming call. "Aria! I was just going to call you and the others about Friday night. I've got awesome news…"

* * *

On Friday afternoon, Courtney tossed a bunch of her clothes onto the table in the living room and ran to her room to grab the next bundle. Instead of the usual sleepover, she decided to add in a clothes-swapping session. She wanted some different clothes and figured the others might feel the same. Her friends would be here at any moment.

As she dumped the last pile onto the table, the doorbell rang. All four girls were waiting at the front door, sleeping bags and clothes bundles in arms. "I brought my new Urban Decay palettes!" Hanna waved her hot pink makeup bag excitedly at the girls.

"Sweet! We can test out the colors on Emily later," Courtney said as she led the girls to their usual hangout.

Emily groaned and the girls laughed in response. Out of all of them, Emily wore the least makeup. In fact, she basically wore Lip Smackers cherry balm since the Fields were so conservative about raising their children.

"C'mon, it's not like you even touch makeup outside of our sleepovers," Courtney giggled. "And besides, it's a nice challenge trying to work on a redhead with so many freckles!"

Aria leapt in to defend Emily as the girls started to watch MTV Cribs, declaring, "Freckles are awesome. I think they're so underrated. They're unique looking and sometimes I wish I had them."

Spencer stared at her friend critically. "You're already pretty unusual looking, Aria. And I mean that in a good way."

"She's right," Courtney chimed in. "Who did you inherit those eyes from anyway? Your mom and dad definitely don't have eyes like that."

"I got it from my grandma on my mom's side. She moved here in the 1940s with her family from Latvia when she was a kid. I think the Soviets were invading the country at that point."

"The 40s were a pretty interesting time for the world," Spencer reflected. "I want to study that era more. Maybe in high school we'll get more in-depth classes."

"Uhh that's really great you guys, but if you ask me, all this talk about school and world history is _bo-ring,_ " Courtney interrupted. _Honestly, leave it to Spence to direct a conversation towards_ school _of all things._ Her attention was then diverted by Justin Timberlake's segment of Cribs.

"He is _so_ hot," Hanna said dreamily. "He's like, the main reason N'Sync was better than the Backstreet Boys."

"Hanna, no one listens to boy bands anymore," laughed Courtney. "And Justin's not _that_ cute. His mansion looks awesome though."

The banter continued on into the night. Emily's makeover was soon underway, with all of the girls throwing out suggestions on which colors to put on her. Spencer applied some eyeliner, eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick. She then examined Emily carefully and decided, "I think she needs more blush. I can still see her freckles."

Thinking concealer might better do the trick, Courtney skipped over to her makeup bag while saying "I've got some Clinique concealer." It was resting on a table near the living room's entryway. As she fished for the needed product, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She paused, checked to see if the girls were paying attention, then quickly flipped open her phone.

**Ali, he's going to the treehouse soon!- Jenna.**

Brows raised as Courtney processed the message. She quickly texted back: **Ok, cool. I'm with some friends so I'll do what we talked about a bit later. –Ali.**

"Hey what's taking so long Ali?" called Hanna. Courtney discreetly placed her phone back in her pocket and grabbed the concealer from her bag.

"Sorry, it took a minute for me to find it with all the stuff I had in there. I totally need something bigger for my makeup." She tossed the bottle over to Spencer and joined the girls in conversation. Courtney kept an eye on the clock as the sleepover continued and planned her moves. It was definitely a good thing her parents and Jason were out of the house. Having her friends here did complicate the plan a bit though. Maybe if she convinced them to go to sleep around eleven, she could sneak out a few minutes later to launch the firework.

It would seem a bit odd, but she could use the schoolwork as an excuse to end their fun a bit early. Courtney settled on that plan as Spencer piped up and suggested, "Why don't we start swapping some clothes? I'm really looking forward to having a different wardrobe for the rest of the semester!"

The girls agreed and started to pick out pieces that caught their eye. A few trades were made already, and the friends were enjoying the feeling of having "new" clothes. Trying on a pair of Hanna's jeans, Courtney swiveled around while looking down at her lower half, saying, "Seriously, Han? These jeans have such ridiculous bell-bottoms! That trend needs to say in the 70s." Kicking off her friend's pants, Courtney moved across the room to rummage through Spencer's pile when there was a flicker of movement at the corner of her eye.

Turning to the right, she saw none other than Toby Cavanaugh himself, staring at the partially undressed girls through the window.

"Oh my God!" she screamed, running behind her couch to hide. Everyone else turned to the window and freaked out as well. _I can't believe that creep! How dare he spy on us? Ugh, he is SO disgusting!_

"Get away from us, perv!" Spencer yelled as Toby leered at them once more before running off. The others quickly threw on some clothes after he left, red-faced and infuriated at having their personal space violated.

Courtney had calmed down a bit, though she was slightly shaking with anger. _That freak. I wonder how long he was standing there. Now I can really see why Jenna wants him gone. Never have I been so happy to agree to pull a prank; I can't wait to take this loser down._

"We have to get him back," she declared forcefully. There was no turning back from this, but Courtney wouldn't have it any other way. Toby had made his bed and it was time for him to lie in it. Since the girls were humiliated by him too, it was only right to include them in her plan. Of course, she wouldn't utter a word about Jenna because this was initially supposed to be a secret idea between the two of them.

She told them about the plan, making it seem like she just came up with it. As expected, the girls reacted with hesitance. _C'mon guys, stop acting like cowards,_ she thought with annoyance. Finally, they all agreed. _Perfect. You're going down Toby. And I'm going to enjoy every minute of it._ "Awesome! I'll go do it. You can watch from here."

She took off through the back door of the kitchen. Running quickly but silently from her backyard towards the Cavanaugh's mansion, Courtney noticed the box of fireworks sitting innocently near the treehouse. She grinned triumphantly and reached the explosives in two minutes. As she positioned herself and lit the firework, she glanced up at the treehouse. It had huge windows surrounding the entire building and the blinds were pulled up. There was Toby, just as Courtney expected. But wait…someone else was in there too.

Courtney tilted her head to see better and she soon noticed the long, dark hair and smooth pale skin. It was Jenna. _What is she doing_ _in there? The plan might be screwed up if her parents catch her with Tob-_. Her thoughts came to a crashing halt as Toby pulled Jenna's shirt open and moved his hands over her chest. _Oh my GOD._ Courtney stood frozen on the lawn as Toby continued to molest a terrified-looking Jenna until he suddenly stopped and looked straight at her. He then said something to Jenna and she looked down too.

At that point, everything happened in a dreamlike rush: The firework in Courtney's hand was already lit and all set to go. It shot out of her slackened hand and straight toward the treehouse, ending in a huge explosion. Courtney barely kept herself from shrieking and bolted towards her house. Her mind cycled through a series of panicked thoughts and she didn't stop running until she was back in the living room. Her friends turned to look at her with no small amount of concern. "What happened?" they all urgently asked her.

"I-I don't know. But it wasn't my fault," Courtney gasped out while catching her breath. Her body was trembling from the adrenaline of the run and dread at what had just occurred. She didn't mean to launch it at the treehouse! It was just supposed to be a few feet away from it. Sirens were heard in the distance and her stomach lurched. Mr. and Mrs. Cavanaugh's shouts echoed throughout the night. How could everything have gone so wrong?

Spencer abruptly moved towards the kitchen; it was obvious she wanted to see the house. “What happened, Ali? You've got to tell us what happened.”

"Spence, no," yelled Courtney as she tried to stop her friend. Spencer ignored her and pushed through the back door. _Damn it, she's going to get me in trouble!_ Courtney ran after her, praying she wasn't going to blow their cover. They needed to stay inside or it could be all over for them. Spencer stopped at the side of the house, staring at the scene before them in horror and awe. Jenna was on a stretcher being carried down from the treehouse. She was crying and screaming so loudly that her voice nearly drowned out the sirens. Courtney's stomach clenched yet again. _Oh God, this is such a mess. Why did this have to happen?_

Spencer turned to her, face drained of all color. "Did you do that on purpose?"

Courtney's jaw dropped at the accusatory question. Why the hell would she intentionally shoot the firework _at_ the treehouse? Nothing went right but it _wasn't_ her fault! "No!" she cried, grabbing at her friend. "It was-"

She didn't finish her sentence as they both turned simultaneously to see a very enraged Toby Cavanaugh charging toward them. Spencer squeaked but Courtney held her ground, forcing her turbulent emotions into the background. This was no time to panic. She was the only one who could fix this and ensure that no one knew of her involvement in this disaster. There was still a chance she could complete what she and Jenna had plotted. The creep stood before them in seconds and bit out, "I _saw you._ I'm going to tell."

Courtney raised a brow as her friend was sent into greater hysteria. Toby had some real nerve, spying on them and touching Jenna like the pervert he was. _Disgusting freak. Don't you even think for a second that you'll get away with this. I have my trump card and you're not going to like it…_

She smirked while looking disdainfully at the shaking boy. "Yeah, but I saw _you_ Toby. And if you tell, I'll tell, too. Your _parents."_ Her smirk grew into a vicious smile as the freak paled after he realized what she was hinting at. He backed up slightly, clearly afraid of what would happen if his parents knew what he was doing to their sweet Jenna.  
  
"No."

" _Yes_ ," Courtney pressed on ruthlessly. " _You_ lit the firework. You hurt your sister." She pulled away from Spencer, who was _still_ panicking. _Get a grip Spence. We can't afford to lose this opportunity._

"Stepsister," Toby mumbled while looking toward his burning treehouse. His attention snapped back towards the girls and he growled out, "I'll get you. You just wait." He then took off for his house. Courtney rolled her eyes. Right, as if he could do anything to them while he was shipped off to boarding school. She knew he was as good as gone from Rosewood now. In the end, the plan had worked.

Spencer pulled on her arm yet again and cried, "What are we going to do?"

Courtney smiled, thinking of how her friend was such a worrywart. "Nothing. We're fine."

"Alison…didn't you hear him? He said he saw what you did. He's going to tell the police right now." Spencer had never looked so confused and scared before. Courtney laughed lightly and decided to reveal what she saw, lest her friend worry herself to death.

"I don't think so. Not with what I've got on him. You see, when I went to launch the firework near Toby's treehouse, I saw him in there with Jenna. He was groping her with this creepy smile on his face and she looked horrified at what he was doing. It was so disgusting and shocking that I didn't even realize I was still holding the firework in my hand. I never meant to shoot it _at_ the  
treehouse, but what I saw completely distracted me. I'm doing this to Toby so we can all be protected. I don't think his parents would be happy to find out their freak of a son is a bigger creep than we all thought. He'll take the blame for this, just wait and see. We're in the clear." Satisfied with the explanation she gave, Courtney pulled Spencer back into her house before anyone else could see them.

"By the way," she murmured as they headed to the living room. "If you tell _anyone_ about what I just told you, even the others, I'll make sure the blame is pinned on you if the cops find out we were involved." Spencer gasped in response and nodded quickly. Courtney gave a satisfied smile. "Good. Now let me handle the others and tell them what's going on. We need to do this very carefully, Spence."

Hanna, Aria, and Emily turned to look at them with expressions of fear and shock. "A-Ali," Emily stammered. "We just saw Jenna being taken into the ambulance. What _happened_?"

Courtney took a deep breath and launched into her explanation. Near the end, she reassured, "No one saw me light the firework, so everything will be okay. The police will probably blame Toby, since he _is_ the one who owns them. Don't worry girls, we're going to be fine. But we can't tell _anyone_ about this. We take everything that happened tonight to the grave. Ok?"

The girls nodded tearfully. Aria had a small frown on her face and hesitated before saying, "You know, I thought I saw someone else standing in the yard while you were there, Ali. Are you absolutely sure you were alone?"

Hanna stared at her. "I didn't see anyone but Ali around. Did you, Emily?"

"No," whispered Emily, tears streaking down her face. "There was no one else."

"Are you sure you weren't seeing things, Aria? It was pretty dark and the Cavanaughs have a ton of trees in their yard," Courtney stated while spinning her 'A' ring on her finger. She didn't see anyone else when she sneaked into their yard…and besides, Emily and Hanna didn't see anyone. It must've been Aria's imagination.

"Okay… I guess it was my mind playing tricks on me then," Aria sounded unsure. Courtney sighed and gathered everyone into a group hug. "Everything's going to be _fine_ you guys. Let's try to get some rest and we'll see what happens in the morning.

Everyone went to sleep, but couldn't stay that way for long. Throughout the night, Courtney spent time comforting the girls and urging them to sleep. Emily was especially nervous and lay crying in Courtney's lap. "It's going to be okay Em, I know it. Just get some sleep." She kissed her friend's temple and stroked her hair until she fell asleep. She eased away from Emily, moved to the hallway, and sighed. She knew everything would pan out once Toby confessed, but this whole night felt like it came straight out of a bizarre horror movie. There were still faint tremors in her hands.

She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. _Deep breaths, Ali. You can handle this. You're the only one who can hold the group together. Don't lose your cool._ She went back into the living room to see Emily stirring awake. Courtney returned to her side and held her again, murmuring, "It's okay Emily. Go back to sleep." Soon she drifted into unconsciousness as well, until her eyes snapped open at the feeling of someone shaking her awake.

It was Spencer. She had a distressed expression on her face as she whispered, "I can't do this. We should turn ourselves in." _For crying out loud, Spencer,_ she thought wearily as she got up and pulled the frazzled girl into the bathroom.

_Time to calm Miss Paranoid down._ "Get a grip, Spence. You can't spaz if the police ask us questions." Upon seeing the alarmed look form on her friend's face, Courtney knew she would react badly. As expected, Spencer cried, "The _police_?"

" _Shhh._ " Courtney really didn't want the others to wake up and find them. They couldn't know the whole situation, it would be too risky. "I'm not saying the police are definitely going to talk to us, but we have to make a plan in case they _do._ All we need is a solid story. An alibi."

Spencer retorted, "Why can't we just tell them the truth? Exactly what you saw Toby do, and that it surprised you so much, you set the firework off by accident?" She was really starting to irritate Courtney. Didn't she understand that any hint that they were involved in the accident would ruin them? _If I knew you would be this headstrong, Spence, I would've never included you in my group of friends. You're too much trouble._

She tamped down her surge of frustration and focused on shutting down her strong-willed friend's argument. "It's better my way. We keep Toby's secret, he keeps ours." They were interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door.

"Guys?" called Aria. "What are you doing in there?"

Courtney looked at Spencer pointedly and called back "Nothing, Aria. Go back to sleep."

"Uh, okay…" They waited until they heard Aria trudge back to the living room.

Courtney turned back to Spencer and said, "Look. We're most likely _not_ going to be contacted by the police, but in case they do question us, we need to make sure they don't suspect anything. Just follow my lead and we'll be fine. We need to see what happens in the morning."

"Alright," Spencer said quietly as they left the bathroom. "Goodnight Ali."

"Goodnight Spence. And _don't worry about it,_ " Courtney instructed.

With that, the girls all finally went to sleep.

* * *

Courtney woke up a while before the other girls. She took a shower and pulled on a Juicy Couture t-shirt and purple sweatpants. She opened her front door and stared at the Cavanaugh home. She took in the charred treehouse, the litter from the fire scattered all over the yard, and the hazy, smoky cloud that lingered around their house. The air smelled of burnt wood and the home was an ugly smear on an otherwise perfect-looking street. Courtney turned back to go inside when she noticed the Saturday paper swinging from the mailbox.

_Maybe they have a story on what happened last night. I need to know what they're saying about the accident._ She threw on her worn-out pink Uggs slippers and went out to grab the newspaper. Shivering from the cold morning air as she returned inside, she unfolded _The Rosewood Observer_ and saw the following headline: **ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL BLINDED BY FIREWORK IN A FREAK ACCIDENT: STEPBROTHER TAKES RESPONSIBILITY.** Courtney gasped. Jenna was _blind_? But that was a fleeting thought when she took in the second part of the title. Toby took the blame, just like she knew he would. She breathed out, smiled despite herself, and sat in the kitchen to read the article. Her friends appeared shortly afterward, still not fully awake. "Guys! Come sit down and listen to this: Toby turned himself in for shooting the firework."

"Are you serious?" Hanna cried as they rushed over to the table.

"Uh huh. Here, I'll read some of the article: _Thirteen-year-old_ _Toby Cavanaugh claimed responsibility for shooting the firework that blinded his stepsister Jenna. According to Rosewood Police officials, the young teenager was launching one of his fireworks from his treehouse and accidently sent one in his sister's direction. She took the full impact of the blast face-on and is consequently sightless. Their parents are choosing to punish Toby on their own and have refused to press charges against him as a juvenile. Jenna is currently in the ICU at Rosewood Day Memorial Hospital recovering from the incident._

They all held hands and Courtney said, "We're okay guys, we're safe." The girls hugged each other as their parents came rather early to pick them up. The incident was probably on the local news channel too. Just after Courtney watched Spencer walk back to her estate from her front porch, Jason's car appeared. He wasn't supposed to be back for another hour or two. Jumping out of the car, he called, "Ali, I heard about what happened last night. Are you okay?" He turned around to get a better look at the Cavanaughs' home. "Jesus."

"I'm fine. It was kind of scary though," Courtney admitted.

"I knew that Toby Cavanaugh was a troublemaker. But to blind his own sister…" Jason shook his head. "Accident or not, you should seriously stay away from that guy. I hope his parents give him a harsh punishment. I'd be glad to see him gone from Rosewood."

"So would I, he totally deserves it," she said in agreement as they went back into their home.

* * *

On a thankfully sunny Wednesday afternoon, Courtney walked out of Rosewood Day with Aria while chatting about their group science project and the bake sale that would be held in Jenna's name. She stopped after a moment and said, "Hey, I actually have to run by the drugstore to pick up a couple of things for my mom. Can we talk about what we're going to do for the project later today?"

"Sure, I have to be getting home early anyway. My aunt's visiting for a couple of days," shrugged Aria. "Talk to you later!"

"Bye," Courtney waved. She walked along the route of the closest drugstore, but she moved straight past it and towards the hospital a few feet away. Rosewood Day Memorial Hospital was built relatively close to the school decades ago to ensure that students could have easy access in case any emergencies came up. Entering through the sliding doors, Courtney walked up to the receptionist and asked, "Is Jenna Cavanaugh still here? I'm a good friend of hers."

The woman smiled and said, "Yes, she is. She's in room 203."

"Thanks," she said as she walked to the room. Knocking on the door, she heard a faint, "Come in."

Courtney looked around the hospital room. Jenna was sitting in bed with numerous white bandages wrapped around the upper half of her face. There were various teddy bears, flowers, and sweets gathered around her. "Hi, Jenna. It's me, Ali. How are you feeling?" she asked nervously while staring at the bandages.

"I'm okay now. It was really painful for the first few days but the throbbing reduced a lot now." She smiled shyly in Courtney's general direction. "I haven't heard anything about Saturday night. My parents won't tell me because they're afraid I'll get upset again. I remember everything now though. Are you in any trouble?" she asked worriedly.

"No, no. I got Toby to take the blame. I told him that I'd tell his parents what…what I saw him doing to you."

Jenna looked relieved. "Good, I didn't want you to get in trouble. My parents should make good on their threat and send him away soon."

Courtney hesitated, feeling a strong sense of guilt pull at her conscience. "About that…look Jenna, I'm really sorry about what happened to your eyes. I didn't mean for the firework to hit the treehouse, it just happened. I didn't know Toby was abusing you like that." Jenna frowned in response and tipped her head downward.

After a long moment, she spoke. "You know, Toby and I got along pretty well when our parents first married. I was so excited to have a big brother. But things changed. He became really weird and distant, and he started getting into all kinds of trouble. He also started…hurting me." Her mouth wobbled slightly as she spoke. "I couldn't understand why he was doing this to me. What did I do wrong? But later I understood that Toby's very twisted. He's not a good person at all. At that point, I knew I wanted him gone. And thanks to you, he _will_ be leaving Rosewood. I'm glad you helped me out Ali. It doesn't matter that the plan happened differently than we hoped. He's gone and I can finally be happy."

Courtney nodded, relieved that Jenna wasn't upset with her. Realizing she couldn't see the gesture, Courtney spoke up, "It's no problem, Jenna. I'm really glad you're okay, all things considered." She looked at the clock; it was starting to get a bit late. "I have to go now. Good luck with your new school in Philly!"

"Thanks for visiting. Bye, Ali!" Jenna called as Courtney exited the room.

As she walked home, she reflected on her conversation with Jenna. True, their plan went _horribly_ wrong, but in the end, the goal was achieved and Mr. Creepy Pervert would be kissing Rosewood goodbye. Her thoughts then turned to her friends. They were still freaked out about what they now called 'The Jenna Thing'. Everyone felt incredibly guilty for what happened to Jenna and they were all planning to participate in the bake sale this weekend. Courtney resolved to bring them all closer together this summer. They needed some serious quality time to relax after this nightmare. _After all, secrets keep friends close. This will make our friendship stronger, I'm sure of it._

 


	5. The Best Laid Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene inspired by Heartless ch. 16

Chapter Five: The Best Laid Plans

"I don't like this, it's too 'Sunday church service' looking," said Courtney as she twisted around to see her reflection in the mirror. One seasonable Wednesday afternoon in September, she was figuring out what tomorrow's outfit would be. It was spirit week at Rosewood Day and students were able to wear clothes other than their usual uniforms. Courtney was currently wearing a lacy white dress she picked up during the summer. Now she wondered what the hell she was thinking when she bought it.

She sighed and peeled off her dress on her way to the closet. Hanna Marin lounged nearby on her bed, flipping through several issues of _Teen Vogue_ as she helped Courtney pick an outfit. She already chose her own clothes for the next day easily enough. "Maybe you should go for a more trendy-casual look?" she suggested. "Peasant tops are one of the hottest things to wear this fall."

"Hmm...I might go for that after all," she murmured as she rifled through her clothes. After a few minutes of searching, Courtney pulled out a loose cerulean DKNY top and a pair of the latest Citizens corduroys. She pulled them on and examined her reflection again. "It's okay, but something about it looks off. I think it's the pants."

Hanna looked at her thoughtfully. "Yeah, I think denim jeans would look a lot better with the top. Maybe those indigo Sevens you just bought can do the trick."

"Ooh, good one! I was thinking of what they'd look best with and they'd go perfectly with this shirt." She moved back towards the closet and pulled out the jeans. As she took off her corduroys, her cell phone rang. Courtney's brow furrowed when she saw 'unavailable' on the caller ID screen. Curiosity won out and she picked it up but remained silent.

 _“Someone's been very_ _wicked…”_ an eerie sounding voice hissed on the other line. _“Do you know what happens to wicked girls like you? They're taken out of the picture for good.”_

Courtney paled as the sinister voice continued to taunt her. The next thing she knew, the voice started to make a horrible screechy sound of laughter. Hanna looked up and gave her a creeped out look. She breathed out forcefully. There was only one person who would do something like this. _Alison._

Hanna raised an eyebrow at her as she screamed, "For the last time, stop it, loser!" and hung up.

"Who was that?" she whispered. She clearly heard Courtney's bitter twin cackling like she was in some cheap horror movie.

"Just my stupid brother," she lied. Placing the phone back on her dresser, Courtney pulled on the Sevens jeans and examined her reflection as though nothing happened. “You’re awesome Han. I think this is the one!” she announced with false cheer.

The brunette was successfully distracted by the praise and beamed at her. “No problem! I’ve been keeping an eye on all the hottest trends and indigo’s supposed to be the ‘it’ color for fall. Magenta’s gonna be a really popular one too.”

 Courtney listened to Hanna ramble on about the season’s latest trends as she returned her rejected outfits to the closet. Though she looked rather calm, internally she was absolutely seething at her sister. _Why can't she just leave me alone? I'm sick of this._ Since she started seventh grade two weeks ago, Ali had been calling her everyday and attempting to scare her.

Maybe the brat thought her pathetic tactics would somehow get Courtney to admit what she did and return to living like a prisoner. _Well, it's not going to work,_ she thought grimly as she watched Hanna leave her home. _She's going to have to get over it and deal with life in the clinic just like I had to._

A couple of hours later, Courtney asked her mom to speak with her alone after dinner. "What is it, honey?" her mother asked distractedly as she loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.

Biting her lip, she responded, "It's about Courtney. She keeps prank calling me and it's really creepy. I told her to stop but she keeps doing it anyway. She even called my cell phone today and I don't even know how she got my number."

Mrs. DiLaurentis paused after dispensing a glass and sighed. "I thought she was making progress. Last month it seemed like she was doing so well…" she shook her head and turned to her daughter. "Don't worry Ali, I'll handle it first thing tomorrow. Let me know if she tries to call you again tonight."

"Okay, thanks Mom!" she said as she left the kitchen. _Everything's going to be fine. Just think about making this year even better than the last._

In her room, Courtney lounged on her bed and scrolled through her new iPod. She glanced up to her window briefly and an interesting sight caught her attention.

Ian Thomas and Melissa Hastings were relaxing and chatting in the hot tub. Courtney pursed her lips as she watched her friend's older sister smooth Ian's hair back. _She doesn't deserve someone as hot as Ian,_ she thought resentfully while the two shared a kiss. _He's too good for her and I'm sure he knows it._

She closed her eyes and imagined herself in Melissa's place. She smiled at the thought and knew she had to get with Ian somehow. He was already interested in her; all she had to do was push him to take that interest a little further…but not now. No, Courtney wanted to settle into the groove of being a seventh grader and play around with the boys in her class for a bit. By then, she'd be even more appealing to Ian and she'd have greater confidence in her ability to keep him wanting more.

Courtney smirked as she gave one last glance at the couple; they were now engaged in a heavy make out session. _Enjoy his company as much as you can, Melissa. You won't be the center of his attention for long. I always get what I want._

 


	6. The Highs and Lows of Romance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scenes inspired by Perfect chs. 7 and 27

Chapter Six: The Highs and Lows of Romance

Courtney walked into the local IKEA store with her friends to celebrate Aria's birthday. It was the first Friday of April and she couldn't be any happier. Just a few weeks ago she managed to get Ian Thomas to kiss her. Even better, he wanted to see her more often and asked her out on a date. He was still with Melissa Hastings but Courtney didn't mind too much. He needed to keep up appearances and he could get in trouble for dating her because of their age difference. Since then, she felt as though she were on cloud nine. Just thinking of Ian brought a smile to her face.

"Alright! Here's the deal," Byron Montgomery said as the girls gathered in the front lobby of the store. "We've planned a fun little scavenger hunt for you girls. You've got until midnight, so make sure you find as much as you can!"

"Here are the lists of the items. Have fun!" cried Ella Montgomery as she passed out sheets of paper to the girls. It was an unusual way to celebrate a birthday, but then again, the Montgomerys were pretty weird. Courtney didn't really care. Aria seemed really happy and so was she—for completely different reasons.

The girls decided to split up and pile their findings together at the end of the hunt. As the night progressed, Courtney found that she was having a lot of fun. She didn't know if it was because things in her life were so perfect or if the Montgomerys just had a stroke of genius in planning out the scavenger hunt. She ducked behind a veil of solid-color shower curtains and didn't find anything. She was about to turn around and search the patterned curtains when Aria suddenly appeared. "Oh, Ali! I didn't realize you were here. I'm having _so_ much fun right now. I never expected my parents to come up with something like this," she said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, this is a pretty cool way to celebrate your birthday," agreed Courtney. She couldn't help but beam at the offbeat girl. Everyone was enjoying the party, she and her friends were closer than ever, and she had the cutest boyfriend. She could almost die from the current perfection of her life.

In an impulsive fit of joy, she grabbed Aria's hands and whispered, "I'm so happy, Aria! I'm _so_ happy!" Her friend looked confused yet pleased that she was so jubilant.

"Why?" Aria curiously questioned. Courtney only grinned in response; there would be a time for revelations but not quite yet. She wanted to continue enjoying her time with Ian in private. There was no need for the other girls to know her secret right now. She didn't know how they'd react to the news that she was dating a high school boy and Spencer would have a tantrum if she knew Courtney and Ian were together. She was apparently eying her older sister's boyfriend as well. _Then again, it might be fun to tell just to see Spencer blow up_.

But that wouldn't be a smart idea. So Courtney simply played coy and said, "I'll tell you soon. It's a surprise." She winked at Aria and moved on to the next area of shower curtains. Before she knew it, midnight arrived and everyone returned to the front lobby. They actually managed to find everything and now they chatted about how fun and unique the hunt was. The Montgomerys dropped the girls off at their homes. Courtney rushed up to her bedroom, grabbed her diary from the nightstand, and entered the day's events. As she wrote, her phone lit up with a new text message from none other than Ian. She grinned and flipped the phone open.

**Ian: hey, did u enjoy the party?**

Courtney quickly typed in a response: **it was cool, but i'd enjoy being with u more. when r we meeting again?**

**Ian: how about sunday at 6? melissa's got a big group project due next week so we won't be seeing each other 4 a while. i'll take u to rive gauche.**

She squealed giddily and responded: **it's a date! xoxo.** Closing the phone and leaning back on her bed, she grinned lazily at the ceiling. _I can't believe how perfect everything is right now._ She jumped up and perused her closet. _I totally have to go shopping for Sunday's date,_ she decided after searching through her clothes _._ Courtney returned to her bed and continued writing in her diary, a dreamy smile lingering on her face.

 

* * *

(Beginning of May)

One chilly evening, Courtney sat in the backseat of Mr. Marin's BMW with Hanna. "I can't believe you actually got tickets to the game Dad!" exclaimed Hanna. She squirmed excitedly in her seat. "Everyone's been talking about this game for weeks!"

Mr. Marin chuckled as they drove to the stadium in Philadelphia. "Well, I still can't believe it myself. My boss had three extra tickets and he just offered them to me the other day. I guess I got lucky. I hope you girls enjoy the game."

Despite her sour mood, Courtney managed to grin and inject enough enthusiasm into her voice. "Thanks, Mr. Marin. It'll be a lot of fun." If she could be anywhere in the world right now it certainly wouldn't be at a freaking baseball game. She glanced at her phone. No new messages. She nearly snarled but remembered to put on a happy front for Hanna and Mr. Marin.

They arrived at the stadium a few minutes later and found decent parking. As they walked to their seats, Courtney allowed herself a moment to scowl behind her two companions. Everything with Ian was going wonderfully until two weeks ago. He was spending more time with _Melissa_ and she was being pushed out of the picture. He barely called or texted her now. Her lips trembled slightly but she clamped down on her emotions. _I'm not going to cry. I'm not. Going. To. Cry. Stop acting like a baby and watch the game Ali._

They got to their seats and settled down for the game. "Hey Jim! Terry!" Mr. Marin called to the men occupying the seats near theirs. He introduced the two as his boss and his coworker. The adults chatted animatedly as Hanna and Courtney surveyed the stadium. The crowd was excited and rowdy; this particular match was apparently anticipated for a long time now. Courtney didn't know or care about baseball. She only accepted the invite because Hanna sounded so thrilled when she told her about the  
tickets on the phone.

The game started and everyone seemed to be absorbed in the action except for Courtney. The wind picked up slightly during the match, chilling her a bit more as she focused her attention on her phone. No new messages. The same status since nearly two hours ago. She glared down at the device in her hand, willing it to light up with a text in her inbox. Nothing changed. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Hanna glancing at her uneasily. She took a deep breath, smiled, and pretended to be interested in the game.

At the seventh inning stretch, Hanna ventured, "Hey, I noticed some really cute boys watching the game from one of those sky boxes. Why don't we get a closer look?"

With nothing better to do, Courtney shrugged and agreed. Hanna sighed in relief and said, "Hey Dad, Ali and I are gonna go get a snack from the concession stand. We'll be back in a few minutes!" Her dad nodded distractedly as he and his coworkers were completely focused on the game. Courtney rolled her eyes. _Men._ They crept over to the balcony and spied on the boys in the sky box. She checked her phone one more time and saw no updates. Her mouth wobbled and she started to tremble a bit. _Why won't he talk to me? Am I not good enough for him? Does he even care about me? Not one phone call or text in the last two days! What's going on, Ian?_

"Are you okay?" She glanced up and noticed Hanna staring at her with concern. She'd forgotten where she was for a moment. Courtney mustered a smile and responded, "I'm just cold."

Hanna shrugged. "Okay. The game should be over soon. We can hang around in the hall if you'd like."

"No that's okay. We should get back before your dad starts to worry," she said as she led the way to their seats. The game finally ended and it was time to go home. The trip to Courtney's place was filled with excited discussions about the game. She spoke up occasionally, not wanting to seem down or ungrateful. Before getting out of the car, she thanked Mr. Marin again and said goodbye to Hanna. Her friend still looked worried about her, but she waved her off. She saw two cars in the driveway that no doubt belonged to kids from the high school branch of Rosewood Day.

Once Courtney got inside the house she slumped a bit. Pretending to be happy had physically and emotionally drained her. Jason and his friends were watching a movie in the family den. As she passed the room to get to the staircase, he called out, "How was the game?"

"Fine," she mumbled without stopping.

She heard him snicker to his friends, "She’s too ditzy to even know the basics of baseball." Loud guffaws sounded from the den. She slammed the door to her bedroom and slid down against it. Tears sprung from her eyes and she didn't feel like doing anything to stop it. Courtney curled into herself, rested her head against her knees, and began to cry in earnest. She didn't understand why this was happening. Less than a month ago it seemed like her life was a fairytale: she was the beautiful young princess and her Prince Charming had come to sweep her off her feet. And now that fairytale seemed to be completely wrecked.

After several minutes she stalked over to her nightstand, where her sole source of comfort rested. Snatching up a nearby pen, Courtney wrote furiously about the cause of her despair. She looked at the phone and considered texting Ian but decided against it. Right now she was in a volatile mood and she was scared of what she might say or do if she contacted him. She closed the diary, prepared to sleep, and lay sullenly in her bed.

She stared at the ceiling for a while and eventually turned to look through her window to the Hastings property. Spencer's curtains were closed, but her lights were on. Maybe she could call her friend and find out if Ian was over there. She sat up and reached for her phone when a bright light flashed from its screen. She paused for a moment then quickly grabbed the phone. One new message. She flipped it open impatiently.

**Hanna: hey, r u ok Ali? U seemed rly off at the game 2nite.**

Courtney nearly screamed in frustration. She was just about ready to throw her phone against the wall and go insane. **I'm fine** , she typed. **I'll see u at school.** She turned off her phone and practically threw it onto her nightstand. _I hate boys. I hate them all._

 

* * *

(Friday afternoon)

As soon as her last class ended, Courtney rushed out of the building. She was in no mood to talk or hang out. She started towards the shortcut back home through the woods when a hand covered her eyes. "Guess who?" She clenched her teeth when she heard that voice. _He has some nerve acting like nothing's wrong,_ she fumed silently.

She smoothed out her features, turned to Ian with a dazzling smile and said sarcastically, "Hey Ian. How have you been?" He smiled back, apparently oblivious to her not-so-sweet tone, and Courtney felt her icy defenses slipping. _Ugh. It's so hard to stay mad at him when he has a face like that._

"I'm good. But I know something that will make me feel even better," he raised his eyebrows suggestively. Courtney bit back a laugh. _I seriously hope he's not thinking about going all the way. He can't be_ that _dumb to think I'd do that when he's not even devoted to me._ "Why don't we hang out in New York tomorrow? The weather's gonna be great and a day in the city sounds fun, doesn't it?"

Now it was Courtney's turn to raise her brows. It was an unusual idea for their dating tendencies, but she kind of liked it. She opened her mouth to answer, but she noticed Melissa looking around for something, or _someone._ Well, Ian may have charmed his way back into her good graces, but that didn't mean he was completely off the hook. _Time to make him squirm._

"Gee Ian, are you sure your girlfriend won't mind?" she asked rather loudly. "I wouldn't want her to get jealous or anything. She might get the wrong idea about us after all." He looked at her questioningly and turned around to see Melissa searching for him nearby. And it looked like she might have heard part of what Courtney said. She stared directly at them and approached swiftly with a slight frown marring her features. He flinched much to Courtney's satisfaction.

"Ian, I've been looking everywhere for you. Why did you run off so quickly?" she asked. She turned to look at Courtney, who gave her a saccharine smile. "Ali…" She glanced back at Ian. "What were you two talking about?" She acted as if it were so strange that Ian would be speaking to Courtney of all people.

"Nothing Mel, just a friendly chat," he grinned sheepishly at his girlfriend.

Courtney chose that time to intentionally clear her throat and both teenagers turned their attention to her. "Well, I have to get going. It was nice talking to you, _Ian,_ " she drew out his name flirtatiously with a smile and a swift batting of eyelashes. "Bye Melissa." At seeing Ian's grimace and Melissa's strained expression, she twisted around with a flourish and strolled towards the woods. _Mission accomplished._

Over her shoulder, she heard the uptight Hastings ask Ian, "What the _hell_ was that all about?" She giggled softly and suddenly felt lighthearted. It was as if the past two weeks never happened. She tossed her hair back (just in case either of them were still watching) and added a bit of pizzazz to her step.

When she got home she pulled out her phone. A new text from Ian: **R we still on 4 tomorrow? I'll meet u at the station at 10:30.**

Smiling victoriously, she responded: **C U then.**

 

* * *

(Saturday)

Courtney stood in front of her full-length mirror appraising her outfit. A day trip to NYC meant that she had to take comfort into consideration when choosing her outfit. She settled on a sky blue Von Dutch t-shirt, a denim mini-skirt, and strappy yet cozy silver sandals. She put on a silvery cloth headband, swiped on some Buxom lip gloss, and accentuated her eyes with Urban Decay Gunmetal eyeliner. Courtney nodded at her reflection in satisfaction and went downstairs. Her parents were visiting her grandmother in Greenwich and Jason was out doing God knows what with his friends. She made sure there was enough food for the cat and all doors were locked before exiting her house. She grabbed her bike along with its lock and rode to her destination.

Reaching the station ten minutes later, she saw her secret boyfriend lounging around. "You look gorgeous," he said as he noticed her walking toward him. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her into his arms and the two shared a heated kiss. They broke apart after a minute and headed for their train, looking like a normal couple spending time together to the rest of the world.

On the train back to Rosewood, Courtney rested her head on Ian's shoulder and stared out at the scenery. This was probably the best date she'd ever had. They watched random artists and performers in Battery Park, walked around Times Square, and picked out which fancy apartment buildings they'd want to live in at the Upper East Side. _Today was perfect. Just like our first date._ After a while Ian spoke up. "You know Ali, Melissa's planning to go to Prague after we graduate. She'll be back after a few weeks."

She raised her head and grinned at Ian. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"The start of summer's all ours," he murmured as he leaned in to kiss her. Courtney snuggled closer to him and a new concern entered her mind. Ian would be leaving for college soon too, and he was going all the way to California. She pouted slightly at this. She was thrilled Melissa wouldn't be around to hog Ian's attention but that meant they only had a few more months together.

 _I wonder if I should go all the way with Ian,_ she mused. _I wouldn't mind it and I *did* practically brag to Emily about wanting to go far with him. Not that she even knew who I was talking about._ She languidly took in the familiar scenes of Pennsylvania as they got closer to home. _I need to think about that a bit more. Maybe I could get some advice from the girls on the field hockey team._ Some of her high school teammates occasionally talked about sex and she always listened out of curiosity of what to expect. Forty-five minutes later, the train pulled into Rosewood's station. Courtney glanced at her Tiffany watch; it was only 6:30. She wanted to spend more time with Ian, but she promised she'd help Emily out with French homework.

Sighing softly, she turned to Ian and said, "I have to go. Thanks for taking me out to New York, it was fun."

He smiled and brushed her hair off her shoulder. "I'm glad. I'll text you later." He gave her a kiss and walked out of the station. Courtney watched him fondly and pulled out her phone as she left the building a couple of minutes later. It wouldn't do any good to let anyone see them enter and exit together.

She punched in Emily's number, hearing her friend's voice after the second ring. "Ali?" She stifled a giggle. After Emily kissed her in the tree house, she mercilessly and repeatedly teased the swimmer about being gay. _Oh Em. It explains so many things about you._

"Hey Em! Sorry I'm running a bit late, I had to clean up after my cat. He coughed hairballs onto the carpet _again_. I'll be there in fifteen minutes tops!"

"Don't worry about it. Do you need a ride? My mom can pick you up," she offered.

"Nope, I'm fine. See you soon!" she said before hanging up. Emily's neighborhood was just a few minutes away from the station. _Everything in this town is so accessible,_ she thought as she rode her bike to her friend's house. It's been over a year and a half, but Courtney still marveled at living life as a normal girl in Rosewood. Going to a real school again, hanging out at the mall, spending time at a friend's house…she couldn't get enough of it.

Her thoughts wandered to Ian. She was relieved that they were in a good place again- even though he never realized there was anything wrong. She wasn't ready to let go of him just yet, and after today she was starting to want him all for herself. As she arrived at her friend's house, she felt more optimistic about the future of her relationship. _I can't wait until Melissa leaves the country. This summer is going to be amazing!_


	7. Wanting Something More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene inspired by Perfect prologue.

Chapter Seven: Wanting Something More

Since Courtney and Ian's trip to New York, things were going very well between them. They continued to see each other secretly while he dated Melissa Hastings in public. She twirled a long strand of blond hair around her finger when she heard Spencer say, "Watch it Aria, your face is going to freeze like that." She looked up and noticed the eccentric girl concentrating on getting her camera to work, then glanced at the rest of her friends sitting around.

Courtney barely contained a sigh of annoyance. They were having their typical Friday night sleepover but it just wasn't fun to her anymore. It was the end of May in seventh grade and she was definitely feeling the urge to just get the year over with. Much of this irritation had to do with her friends…the girls who were the very reason why she was here in the first place. It wasn't that Courtney didn't have gratitude for their random appearance in her yard. No, it was just the fact that she was outgrowing them. They served their purpose and now it was time for Courtney to strike big. Though Ian would be gone by September, she still had high school friends on the field hockey team and there were plenty of cute high school boys to replace him. In other words, she was planning to replace her 'friends' with people who would better match her social status. She was distracted from her thoughts once again when Hanna asked, "Your mom says that too? _Your face will freeze that way._ "

Courtney snickered as she looked at Hanna's growing figure. There was one very entertaining plus side to sticking around the girls for a bit longer: she had discovered some dirty, _dirty_ secrets about most of them in the past two months. Emily had kissed her when she was telling her redheaded friend about her secret boyfriend and she'd been teasing the swimmer ever since. Just a week ago, she and Aria saw Byron Montgomery kissing what looked like one of his college students. That was probably Courtney's favorite secret of all. And of course, she walked in on tubby little Hanna throwing up _on purpose_ after they met the gorgeous daughter of Mr. Marin's new girlfriend. She'd been poking and prodding at the girls mercilessly at every chance and it was so amusing to watch them squirm. The only one she hadn't gotten the dirt on yet was Spencer. Then again, Courtney wasn't too surprised; the worst secret the overachiever probably had was being OCD or something.

"Your mom should've warned you that your _butt_ would freeze that way," she cackled. At the hurt look on the brunette's face, she rolled her eyes and poked her shin with her foot. "Just kidding," she sing-songed. _I didn't realize how sensitive they all were until recently. Really pathetic, but it makes their reactions even funnier._

Aria spoke up as she continued to work on the camera. "I'm concentrating on setting up this shot. This is for posterity. For when we become famous."  
  
Courtney smirked at that last statement. Somehow, she didn't think _these_ girls of all people had the charisma, beauty, or grace to be famous. They were behind-the-scenes workers at best. Nothing more than backups. _She_ on the other hand was perfect for the spotlight. Just like she told Ian in New York, she _knew_ she was destined to be famous. It wasn't just bragging and she couldn't really explain it, but she had a feeling her name would be known everywhere.

"Well, we all know _I'm_ going to get famous," she said out loud. She tossed her long blond hair back and posed as though she were a model.

"Why are _you_ going to be famous?" Spencer asked rather nastily. Courtney ignored her rude tone. For the past few weeks things had been getting more competitive and tense with her. She was probably pissed because Courtney was winning their competition in the amount of boys they kissed. The hotter the boy, the more points they got. It was a secret competition between the two of them. And Courtney had _definitely_ aced Spencer on that front.

"I'm going to have my own show. I'll be a smarter, cuter Paris Hilton." _I mean, she has a wonky eye, wears blue contact lenses, isn't even a natural blonde, and her nose is too pointy. It's not exactly hard for me to be prettier than her._ She heard a snort from Spencer but noticed the other girls looking at her with interest. _That's right ladies! I_ am _going to be a star someday. Just wait and see._ She grabbed a cherry Popsicle and sat on the arm of the sofa.

Aria let out a cheer and waved her camera around. "Everything's all set! How about we film a talk show? Ali, you're famous. And Spencer, you're the interviewer." Courtney rolled her eyes. _Aria and her stupid films,_ she groused internally. _This is really lame. I have to play along anyway._

Hanna declared that she'd do makeup and Emily volunteered to do hair. She took Courtney's golden tresses in her hair and said in a horrible French accent, "You have gorgeous hair, _chérie_."

 _You totally walked into this one, Em._ She slid her Popsicle out of her mouth and innocently asked, "Doesn't _chérie_ mean _girlfriend_?" She smirked at the look on Emily's face.

"No, that's _petite amie_ ," the redhead stuttered. _You_ would _know what that means. Too funny._ Out of the corner of her eye she saw Spencer pick up a pretty tiara from the New Year's party her family had. She placed it on her dark blond hair. It didn't look good or right on her.

 _You're forgetting who the star of the show is, Spence._ "You can't wear that," Courtney said harshly.

"Why not?" challenged the girl. _Poor Spencer. Always wanting to be the center of attention when she just doesn't have that quality like I do._

Courtney looked her up and down before saying, "Because if anything, _I'm_ the princess."

"Why do _you_ always get to be the princess?" Spencer griped. Courtney narrowed her eyes. She was really starting to get annoyed by her friend. Why couldn't she just accept the fact that she wasn't as pretty or interesting as Courtney and take the role of the lackey quietly? She opened her mouth to give a nasty retort when her phone beeped. She quickly opened it and held it close to her, reading the message.

**Ian: hey babe. Me and mel are going over to her place and we'll b there in 5 min. R U there now?**

Courtney grinned and couldn't help but let out a proclamation of "Sweet!" She typed a response quickly: **yeah I'm here 4 a sleepover. C u soon xoxo.**

As she typed, Emily timidly but nosily asked her, "Who are you writing to?"

 _None of your damn business._ "Can't tell. Sorry," was Courtney's curt reply. She heard a noise of irritation and she had a pretty good idea who it came from.

"You can't tell? What do you mean you can't tell?" asked Spencer angrily.

 _I've just about had it with you._ Courtney briefly looked up at Spencer to drive her slam home. "Sorry, _princess._ You don't have to know _everything._ " God, what was she thinking in hanging out with these girls for so long? She wasted too much time with them and she never felt it so keenly before. _Never mind about them. I get to see Ian soon! I've got to prep a bit. Good thing my best lip gloss is in my pocket._ She locked her phone and jumped up. "Don't start filming yet Aria. I have to pee," she called out as she rushed to the bathroom down the hall.

In the large bathroom mirror she examined her reflection. Her hair, which was recently cut into long, fashionably shaggy layers, looked pretty good but needed a touch up. She glanced around and saw a pink marble comb and hairbrush. Fixing her hair, she moved on to touching up her face. All she needed was a dab of Stila's Kitten lip gloss. She made sure her clothes were neat and straightened then gave herself a quick once-over. _Perfect._ She walked out and returned to the family room. As she got closer she heard the girls whispering. "Do you know her password?" The voice sounded like Aria.

"Try her birthday," whispered a voice that sounded like Hanna's. She moved a bit faster to see just what they were up to. The scene before her eyes angered her. The girls were crowded around the couch, where she happened to leave her phone. Her suspicions were confirmed when Hanna punched some numbers in her phone and whispered, "What do I do now?"

 _Those nosy bitches. I can't wait to leave you all behind._ She stood at the entrance of the room and loudly asked, "What are you guys doing?" The girls' guilty reactions were enough to make her drop them right then and there. "Were you looking at my phone?" she demanded. She heard Hanna and Emily say something but she wasn't really listening. The door connecting the kitchen to the garage just opened and in walked Melissa with a takeout bag in her arms. Following her was Ian. Courtney stood a bit straighter and she noticed Spencer straightening her tiara and giving the boy a big smile. She snorted quietly. Leave it to Spencer to have the subtlety of a foghorn.

Ian moved past Melissa and towards Courtney. "Hey girls," he greeted. She didn't know it was possible, but Spencer's smile widened even more.

"Hey Ian," the girl said. _A little louder, Spence. I don't think he heard you,_ Courtney thought sarcastically. The boy smiled, not seeming to mind or notice her friend's loudness.

"I'm cool. Cute crown." He glanced at Spencer's rhinestone tiara. Courtney felt a twinge of jealousy. _It's not_ that _cute._ Spencer looked all too pleased with his tiny compliment and thanked him while excessively batting her eyelashes.

Did the girl know even how to flirt properly? Courtney wanted to laugh so badly, but she needed to keep her cool in front of Ian. She settled for murmuring, "Be a little more obvious." He moved to sit right next to her on the couch. She smirked at her desperate friend, but the girl didn't seem to notice. Ian curiously asked, "So what are you girls doing?"

"Oh nothing," Aria piped up. "Just making a film." Ian grinned and jokingly asked if he could be in it. _So you think it's silly too, don't you? See what I have to deal with?_ Courtney sighed quietly and stared out the window. Spencer immediately said yes and she barely kept from rolling her eyes yet again.

As Spencer explained what they were doing, she glanced at Courtney as if expecting her to jump in. Courtney stayed silent. _Oh no, princess. I want to see more of your 'flirting' skills._ The 'film' started and Spencer gave an introduction. Aria cut in and suggested, "Ask him who is favorite teacher at Rosewood is!" _Another opening! You girls make it way too easy for me._

"That's a good question for you, Aria. You should ask him if he wants to _hook up_ with any of his teachers. In vacant parking lots." Her reaction was priceless. Satisfied with herself, Courtney leaned back and let her mind drift. As the interview continued, she and Ian stroked their hands against each other's every so often. He intertwined his pinky with hers and she breathed out slowly and softly. She vaguely noticed Melissa's persistent and increasingly irritated requests for Ian to help her. _She probably suspects we're together,_ she thought. _Good. Let her be worried. She has every reason to be._

She barely noticed someone addressing her. Spencer leaned forward and turned to look at her saying, "That sounds incredible. Doesn't it?"

"Yes. Incredible," she vacantly responded. _I wish Ian and I could be alone right now…_

Courtney's daydreaming continued until a figure appeared in front of her. Melissa stood in front of Ian, face slightly red and hands clenched on her hips. "Ian. If you're done playing the movie star, I need your help in the kitchen _please._ " She and Spencer watched the confrontation with great interest. _Guess hot tempers run in the family. Though she's much better at keeping her cool unlike Spencer._

Ian sighed and got up from the couch. "Okay, okay Mel. Calm down already. I was just having a little fun. You should relax a bit more."

Aria spoke from behind her camera. "You can be in the film too if you want. We've got plenty of time for another interview."

Melissa smiled at the impromptu director. "Thanks, but that's okay. Ian's just dragging his feet as usual and I'm getting a bit tired of it," she explained with a pointed look at the blond boy.

Ian shrugged and smiled. "Lighten up Mel," he murmured as he slung an arm around her shoulders on their way to the kitchen. Courtney watched them leave with no small hint of amusement. She turned to Spencer and noted the girl's mildly irritated expression as she watched the couple leave too. _You're too funny Spence._ She nearly groaned as she realized it was only 8:45. _This is going to be a long boring night._ Courtney halfheartedly continued to do the same old activities of their dull sleepover while longing for the start of the summer.


End file.
